Allies
by everytimeyougo
Summary: He really is something, she thinks. He deserves someone special, even if that someone isn’t me. House/Cuddy friendship, House/Cameron, slight Cuddy/Wilson
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: So not much House/Cameron in this chapter, but it's coming, I promise. Sorry for any OOCness, but hey, they're drunk! I get a little OOC when I'm drunk too!**_

_**Disclaimer: I own a tiny corner of House; the bank owns the rest. No wait, that's not House, that's my house. **_

**Allies, Chapter 1**

"Yeah, yeah, everybody lies, yadda yadda yadda…it didn't matter! Her lying had nothing at all to do with her condition," Lisa Cuddy exclaims. She gestures widely with her drink hand and in the process gives Wilson a scotch shower.

"Okay, so maybe I need some new material. That doesn't change the fact that _I_ was right, right, right and _you," _House points at her, "were wrong, wrong, wrong."

"Wrong! I was _not_ wrong! I said from the start that you were getting off track and you were! You were going in completely the wrong direction!"

"Ah, but I still cured her, did I not?" he declares smugly, picking up his glass and leaning back against the booth.

Wilson is content to sit out this good-natured argument. Chuckling at his friends' antics, he instead busies himself with wiping up the spilled alcohol from his arm and the table with his cocktail napkin. The three old friends are unwinding over drinks at a pub near the hospital after a long day of clinic duty, bizarre cases, and administrative headaches. The bantering continues, the scotch flows, and before too long House and Cuddy are smashed. Wilson is not too far behind but still has enough of his wits about him to remember that he has to work in the morning. "Well, that's it for me," he announces. Grabbing his coat and standing up, he throws a few bills on the table. "I don't think my morning appointments would be at all impressed with a hung-over oncologist. Night, guys. And hey, split a cab home will ya? Neither of you needs to be anywhere near car keys tonight."

"Yes, Dad," they chant in unison.

As soon as Wilson is out of sight, House grabs the cash he left on the table and stuffs it in his pocket. "Hey, what are you doing?" Cuddy demands. "If you think I'm paying the entire tab, you can think again!"

"Relax, I lifted his MasterCard. Dumbass left it in his coat pocket, which he left on the seat between us."

"House, that's awful," she giggles. "Smart, but awful."

As often happens with old friends, the conversation turns to their shared past. A round of "whatever happened to…" ensues. "What about…" House looks up as if expecting to find the name he can't recall written on the ceiling tiles. Not finding it, he gives up. "…whatshername that you roomed with in college?"

"Oh, Jeannie? The redhead?" He nods. "I still talk to her every now and then. She's married, has a bunch of kids. Got really fat."

"Shame, that. She was hot." He heaves a sigh at the memory of the once sexy redhead.

"Hey, you were supposed to be looking at me, not my roommate!"

"I looked at you too. And as I recall, I did more than look." He smirks.

"Yes, you certainly did." She looks a little pensive. "Have you ever wondered…about you and me? What might have happened if we had tried just a little harder back then?"

"No, never. Yuck!" Noticing the hurt look on her face, he relents. "Sure, sometimes."

"Have you ever wondered about what could happen now, if we tried it again?" She blushes and claps a hand over her mouth. "Never mind, I'm obviously too drunk to be allowed to speak. Forget I said that, please."

They are quiet for a moment before he throws caution to the wind and answers anyway. "Lisa, of course I've thought about it. You're still every bit as hot now as you were when you were nineteen. I'd have to be a blind idiot not to have thought about it." They stare at each other for a moment, lost in the past. Impulsively Cuddy leans over and kisses him. After a moment of surprise-induced hesitation, he slides a hand into her dark hair and kisses her back. When they break apart, she looks up at him, her mouth twitching. He looks down at her, his blue eyes sparkling. "We just can't pull that off, can we?" he says. They both burst out laughing.

"Nope, not even close," she concurs. "I may as well have been kissing my brother. I guess there's just too much water under that particular bridge."

"Not to mention," he adds, "with two alphas like us… We'd probably kill each other within a week."

She shrugs. "At least it would give me some leverage to get you to do your clinic hours."

"You reconsidering?"

She mulls this over. "Nah…I have enough fun verbally harassing you. No need to add sexually. I need another drink. Be right back." She hauls herself out of her seat.

"Get me one too. Here, take Wilson's credit card."

She walks up to the bar, slowly, as her stiletto heels are giving her trouble for some reason, and orders another round. She turns around to watch him as she waits. He really is something, she thinks. He deserves someone special, even if that someone isn't me.

He slouches in the booth, one eye on the table, one eye on the bar watching for her to come back. She really is something, he thinks. She deserves someone worthy of her, even if that someone isn't me.

Cuddy returns to their table and sets House's scotch on the table in front of him. Taking a big swallow from her own drink, she says, "You know Dr. Cameron and Dr. Chase have called it quits…" She trails off.

"Yeah, heard that rumor. And?"

"You've never looked at me the way you look at her. Not even way back when."

"Don't start," he warns.

"I'm serious, House. You know she has a thing for you. She's not your employee anymore. Why don't you do something about it?"

"_Had_, Cuddy. She _had _a thing for me. She's over it. Doesn't even miss me."

"Now where on earth would you get an idea like that?"

"She told me."

"She told you?"

"Yup."

"And you believed her?"

"Yup."

"Um, everybody lies? Sound familiar?"

"Cameron doesn't."

"Cameron's not part of everybody?"

"Cameron's not part of everybody?" he mimics in his best Cuddy voice. "Fine, she lies. But she's not this time. Jesus, Cuddy, would _you_ miss me? I treated her like shit. She'd have to be a masochistic moron to want anything more to do with me!"

"Ha! You do have feelings for her! Otherwise you wouldn't care if she missed you!"

"I don't have _feelings_ for her!" he answers, petulantly. "She may have become slightly more interesting over the past year but I'm positive it's just a case of wanting what I can't have." He downs his drink. "That has to be it" he adds, half to himself.

"Well, there's only one way to find out. Ask her out!"

"I am _not_ asking her out. I'd look like an idiot and she'd most likely think I'd lost my marbles, asking her out of nowhere."

"Well it doesn't have to be out of nowhere, just put yourself in a situation where it would be a logical thing to do. It doesn't have to be any different than the three of us going out after work."

"It i_s_ different though. We were working together all day. Most days I don't even see Cameron. Unless…you think you could send her up to do my paperwork again?"

"Actually…_surprisingly_…your paperwork is up-to-date."

"Yeah, I finally got Kutner conned into doing it, but she doesn't have to know that, does she?" House says, winking.

"Well, I don't know. It would be rather unprofessional of me to use my position like that."

"Never stopped you before."

"Hey!" She swats at him and he ducks. "Don't insult the person you're trying to get a favor from. Okay, I'll consider it, but you have to do something for me too."

"What?"

She hesitates. "Well, it's kind of along the same lines."

"You want _me_ to set you up? With who? I don't have any friends, except for Wilson." His jaw drops. "Oh God, it's Wilson, isn't it?"

She nods, suddenly too embarrassed to speak.

He rolls his eyes. "Fine, I'll see what I can do. But first, you get Cameron back in my office for a day and find something to occupy the other four."

Cuddy, already starting to regret this conversation, nods again and suggests that perhaps it's time to go home. House agrees. They gather their belongings and start for the door. "Come on gorgeous," he says, slinging an arm over her shoulders. "Let's go find that cab. We can conquer the world tomorrow." She slips her arm around his waist and they continue to the door holding each other up, just like they always have. Just like they always will.


	2. Chapter 2

**Allies, Chapter 2**

Lisa Cuddy sits at her desk, rubs the back of her neck and debates getting up for her fifth glass of water of the morning. In truth, there would be no debate about it if not for the fact that her nausea has finally started to subside and she fears that it may return if she stands up. God I'm an idiot, she thinks. Where the hell was my head, going out drinking with those two on a weeknight? I'm entirely too old for this hangover business. Concentrating on her physical symptoms, she tries not to think about the odd, unsettled feeling in the pit of her stomach. It's a feeling she remembers well from her college days, the feeling of having done something to embarrass herself the night before but not quite remembering what. Oh well, she thinks, I'm probably better off not knowing. I just hope House is feeling as lousy as I am.

That hope appears to have been in vain because at that exact moment, the door to her office slams open and crashes into the windows behind it.

"Hey boss, how's the head?" House shouts at her.

"For the love of God, would you keep your voice down," Cuddy pleads.

"So, not good," he surmises. She glares at him.

"Go away."

"Gladly. Just as soon as we're done."

"We are done. Bye." She waves. He sits down.

"I'm not leaving until we talk about last night."

Cuddy freezes. Uh-oh, she thinks, what the hell happened last night that he thinks we need to talk about! She does what she has been avoiding all morning and starts running through the night in her mind. Drinks, a plate of nachos, more drinks, an argument about House's last case, Wilson leaving, even more drinks, a kiss…Oh right, we kissed! He must be freaked out about _that_. "House, it was just a kiss. We agreed it wouldn't work, so forget it. Everything is fine; go back to work."

"What? No, not that. I mean we need to talk about our agreement. You're not getting any younger, you know. We need to get this show on the road if you ever want to have any little Wilson spawn."

"Agreement? House, what the hell are you talking…" she starts to demand when suddenly it all comes rushing back. Trying to convince him to ask Cameron out, agreeing to set up an opportunity for him to do so. And then – Oh God! – asking him to do the same for her and Wilson. She rests her head in her hands. "What have I done?" she moans.

"Just remembered, huh?" He smirks. "Don't worry; I don't have to keep my end of the agreement if you don't want me to. Just as long as _you_ keep _yours_."

XXXXXXXXXX

A short time later, House is back in his office plugged into his iPod. Despite the fact that he was able to persuade Cuddy to go ahead with their deal, he's not convinced that the whole scheme isn't going to backfire spectacularly. He has, however, come to realize that Cuddy had been right the previous evening. Maybe his newly uncovered almost-feelings for Cameron are merely a case of the grass being greener. But the only way to find out for sure is to spend some time with her. Probably I just need a few hours to remember how annoying she can be, he decides. Maybe I won't even need to ask her out for a drink.

"Hey," Cameron says, walking into his office. "I've been told I'm all yours for the day."

Pulling out his ear buds, he replies, "Excellent! Christmas must have come early. Come over here so I can unwrap you."

"Ha-ha. Cuddy wants me to catch up your paperwork again. Must be another inspection on the horizon. Seriously, House I can't keep doing this for you. Assign one of your fellows to help me. Then they'll know how to do this stuff and I won't have to keep coming back here."

"No can do, they're all busy."

"Doing what? You don't have a case right now."

"Clinic duty."

"All of them?"

"Yup, I'm really, _really_ behind on my hours. Stuff's over there on the desk." Looking down at the floor he adds "Oh, and Cameron, you…you look nice today." Couldn't hurt to try and not piss her off today, he thinks, in case the drink thing does seem necessary later.

"Um, thanks," she says giving him an odd look. "I guess that's one benefit of spending the day with you. I get to wear my own clothes instead of boring old scrubs." She sits down at the desk and opens a file.

"Is that the only benefit?" he asks.

"Well, that plus the fact that probably no one is going to bleed or vomit on me up here."

"I wouldn't be so sure; I am a little hung-over today. I'm going downstairs for a coffee. Want anything?"

"Um, yeah thanks, I could use a coffee. Are you okay?"

"Sure, why?"

"You're being…nice. "

"Am not!"

"Are too! And I gotta tell you, it's kind of freaking me out."

So much for that approach. "Just shut up and do your, er, my job," he growls and stalks off.

Grinning widely, she calls after him, "that's more like it!"

XXXXXXXXXX

By the end of the day, Cameron has finished transcribing all of House's patient treatment notes. She's forged his signature in the appropriate places and sent off the necessary copies to Cuddy and other referring departments. Then, for good measure, she has answered all of House's outstanding mail, both the electronic and the paper varieties. All that remains now is the filing.

Throughout the day, the man himself had wandered in and out of the office looking like he had something to say to her, but he had never actually said much of anything. He would come in, stare at her for awhile, grab a cup of coffee or a textbook and head back into his office. At first she tried to encourage him by making small talk but when that seemed to make him even more uncomfortable she gave up and started ignoring him. If she's learned one thing about him in the years she's known him, it's that there is absolutely no rushing him when he's trying to work up to something. Still, she wishes he'd said _something_ because now she was going to be driving herself crazy trying to guess what he was thinking. Again. He'll have one last chance, she thinks, maybe he'll come out with it when I go in to say goodnight.

Humming to herself, Cameron gathers up the completed files and sets them on top of the filing cabinet. She opens the top drawer and thumbs through looking for Baker, Paul's proper alphabetical spot. Spotting a file with the same label as the one in her hand, she thinks, that's funny; House has already had a patient called Paul Baker. She stuffs the file in, closes the drawer and opens the next one. What the hell! There's already a Dimitroff, Maria too! That _cannot_ be a coincidence! Starting to smell a rat, she pulls the file and starts flipping through it. The file contains treatment notes signed off in a bold scrawl she recognizes as belonging to House. The signature isn't the only thing she recognizes; the symptoms, the diagnosis and the treatment are also very familiar. Familiar because she just finished typing them out herself. Sonofabitch! What the hell kind of game is he playing!


	3. Chapter 3

**Allies, Chapter 3**

House is leaning on his arms against the low wall of his balcony watching a couple of sparrows fight over a favored branch in a nearby tree. He wishes he could talk to his best friend about his current predicament, but of course he can't do that without revealing his pact with Cuddy. He tries giving himself a little pep talk instead. What would Wilson say? "House, you're an idiot. She's smart, she's pretty and strangely enough she even seems to like you," he mutters under his breath. "Get over yourself and get back in there and ask her out. And give me back my credit card, ya bastard," he snickers. Pushing off from the wall, he picks up his cane from where it was laying on the ledge and goes back inside. He'll ask her when she comes in to tell him she's leaving, he decides. Should be any time now.

XXXXXXXXXX

Fifteen long minutes later and House has actually managed to hold on to his resolve. He looks up when he hears Cameron enter his office. He opens his mouth to speak, but before he's able to make a sound, she interrupts.

"What the fuck are these!?" she demands, angrily slamming a pile of files on his desk.

Taken aback, he reverts to his default, sarcastic, setting. "Um, just a guess, and I'm probably way off, but…files?"

"Yeah…completed patient files! Completed weeks ago! Why the hell am I redoing work that _someone who actually works for you_ has already done!" she shouts at him.

Damn it! I should've known better than to mess with the creator of the filing system, House thinks. Really hoping she'll just drop it, he responds with, "how the hell do you expect me to know? When do I ever look at patient files after the patient's been discharged?"

"You signed them!"

He's busted and he knows it. Doesn't mean he's going to admit it though. "Did not," he mumbles.

"House, stop it! Your signature is right there!" She opens the top file and jabs her finger in the vicinity of his signature. "I think I know what it looks like by now since I've been signing it for four years!" She stops, takes a deep breath and visibly tries to calm herself down before speaking again. "House, something is going on here and you're going to tell me what it is. _Now_."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not the one who asked you to come up here, you know. That was Cuddy. Go yell at her."

"I realize that, but you've been acting very strangely all day. First you're nice to me, and then you start brooding around, staring at me all afternoon. And now I find out that I've wasted an entire day doing work that someone else has already done. Something is definitely up. Spill it."

"Jesus, Cameron. Paranoid much? Nothing is going on. If those files are already done, well obviously someone just forgot to copy Cuddy. And as for staring at you? I've never denied that you're easy on the eyes. Sadly you're also damned hard on the head. So if you're done, you know your way out." He picks up his PSP and turns his chair around to face the window so he doesn't have to see the hurt look on her face as she leaves.

Fuck.

XXXXXXXXXX

Throwing pens and papers into her briefcase and hearing her bed calling her name, Cuddy is preparing to leave for the day. She hasn't had any word from the Department of Diagnostics since sending Cameron up there earlier in the day and she's hoping that no news is good news. Unfortunately, her hope starts to fade when she sees House limping through the darkened clinic towards her office. She can tell from his downcast eyes and slumping shoulders that something has gone wrong. He opens her door and enters the room with none of the flair and energy he had exhibited that morning.

"Deal's off," he says, falling into a chair. He pulls his pills out of his pocket, pops the lid and quickly swallows a couple.

"Oh House," she sighs, "what did you do?'

"Why would you assume I did anything? Maybe she just said no."

Cuddy raises an eyebrow. "Did she?"

"No. I screwed it up." He recounts the scene in his office.

"So let me get this straight. She cottoned onto the scheme, but rather than admitting to it and asking her out – which was the goal, by the way – you instead insult her and throw her out? What the hell's the matter with you?"

"Sure, kick a guy when he's down. Nice."

"I know where I'd like to kick you," she grumbles under her breath. "Okay, we can fix this. Just give me a minute to think." She gets up from behind her desk and starts pacing the length of the room. "You're just going to have to apologize."

"I don't apologize."

"You do now. You're going to apologize for calling her hard on the head and you are going to admit to getting her up there under false pretences. But, you are not…and this is important…you are not telling her that I had any part in this. You have to tell her that you tricked me too."

"What! You expect me to take the entire blame?"

"Just listen. If you came up with this on your own…it's kind of romantic, or at least it would seem so to someone who's already in love with you."

"She's not in love…" he tries to interrupt.

"In _like_ then, whatever. The point is doing it on your own is completely different from doing it because we had some kind of mutually beneficial agreement. Or worse, doing it because I talked you into it."

"You're just trying to save your reputation."

"Sure, because it's really going to help my reputation to have her think you manipulated me as well as her. I'm right and you know it. And you know what you have to do to fix this. But only you can decide if you want to." With that, she smiles sympathetically at him, picks up her briefcase and walks out the door.

XXXXXXXXXX

House goes home and tries to relax in front of the TV. He flicks to Big Brother which lately puts him right to sleep. Funny, because he really used to enjoy it. It's not working this time though; in spite of his best efforts to zone out, he can't stop thinking about Cuddy's final question to him. Does he want to fix this? Today was just supposed to be a casual way of figuring out if he was truly even interested in Cameron. If he goes to her and tells her what was happening today…well it's not so casual anymore. If he does that, he's committed. Maybe not committed to _her_ exactly, but at least to the _idea_ of her. To the _possibility_ of her. He's not so sure he's ready for that. He stands, gathers up his jacket, helmet, keys, and cane and heads for the door. He needs a long, fast ride to clear his head.

An hour later he's in the middle of nowhere, literally and figuratively. No closer to a decision than when he started. He's running out of gas.

An hour after that, he's on her doorstep.


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N: A little something in here for Meteorfall, if you're still reading. Don't blink or you'll miss it :)_**

**Allies, Chapter 4**

Cameron exits the ladies room of the noisy dance club she's been dragged to and heads back to the table where Thirteen and Kutner are waiting for her. Thirteen spots her and abruptly jerks her chair a bit to the left. Cameron does a double take. Were they just holding hands? No way, she decides. She must be seeing things. It's been that kind of day. She's not entirely sure how she ended up at this meat market of a club with the two of them in the first place. Sure, they'd joined her, Chase and Foreman on a couple of evenings out, but that was before the breakup. Now that she and Chase are no longer together and Foreman has come down firmly on Chase's side, there doesn't seem to be any reason for her to be socializing with Foreman's coworkers. But, they had asked and she hadn't felt like going home, so here she is.

She hasn't told them that she spent the day in their department as she is still finding the whole episode incredibly confusing. Why had Cuddy sent her up there? It makes no sense! And why was House acting so strangely? Her jumbled thoughts are interrupted by Kutner waving a hand in front of her face. "Cameron, hey Cameron, are you in there?" he asks.

"Yeah, sorry. I guess I was daydreaming. What were you saying?"

"One of the nurses told me she saw you up in our office today."

"Yes, I was for a little while…House called me up there to refresh his memory about an old case. I think he's writing an article or something," she lies. She really doesn't want to get in to it with them. Mainly because Kutner's as big a gossip as House himself. Besides she's pretty sure they hadn't believed her when she denied sleeping with him a few weeks ago and she doesn't want to add fuel to that particular fire. Damn Chase and his big mouth! She still can't believe he would ask her such a personal question in front of so many people. It was one of the many reasons she had finally ended things.

"House, write an article?" Thirteen looks doubtful. "Wouldn't that be too much like work for him?"

"He does write them occasionally. He didn't get to be world-famous by sitting on his ass playing video games, you know." Cameron is getting annoyed and decides she had better go home before she says something she'll regret. It's not their fault that she's all discombobulated tonight. She finishes the last of her Pepsi and stands up. "I'm sorry you guys; I'm really not up for this tonight. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Sure Cameron, have a good night," Kutner replies and Thirteen flashes her a smile. Cameron walks past the bar to the front door of the club. Glancing back as she pulls the door open, she notices that Thirteen has once again pulled her chair closer to Kutner.

XXXXXXXXXX

House stands in front of Cameron's door contemplating his next move. Just knock damn it, he tells himself. Following his own advice, he raps on the door with his cane. Nothing happens. He puts his ear to the door. No sound of footsteps. No sound at all actually. What if she's not home? He knocks again, louder this time. Still nothing.

This is unexpected. He's not sure whether to be relieved or disappointed. He settles on annoyed. She's supposed to be home brooding about him! How is it that he cares more about what happened today than she does? Well I'll be damned if I'm waiting around for her, he decides. He leaves the building, mounts his bike and roars off without a backward glance. He doesn't notice the little black Toyota pulling into the parking lot just as he's leaving.

The driver of the Toyota most definitely notices him though. Coming to a dead stop several feet from her designated parking stop, Cameron is in shock. What the heck was he doing here? She pulls out her cell and checks for missed calls or messages. There are none. Well, I guess there's only one way to find out, she tells herself. Throwing the car into reverse, she backtracks until she is once again on the road, heading in the same direction as the now out-of-sight motorcycle.

XXXXXXXXXX

House has just thrown his jacket in the general direction of the closet and is about to sit down at the piano when he hears a knock at the door. Limping over to it without the benefit of his cane, he peers through the peephole. Cameron. Of course. He opens the door and waits for her to speak.

"You were at my apartment," she says. "Why?"

Confused, he asks, "If you were there, why didn't you let me in?"

"I wasn't there. I drove in just as you were leaving. I'll ask again…why were you there?"

"Won't you at least come in before you start asking hard questions?"

"I'll come in, but it shouldn't be that hard of a question." He steps aside and allows her to enter. She walks over to the couch, sits down and looks at him expectantly. "Well?"

"Jesus, you're nothing if not persistent."

"I've had a hell of a day, House. You haven't had me this mixed up since…since you kissed back. Please just tell me. What was going on today? Why were you at my apartment?"

Ignoring the first question for the time being, he answers the second one. "I went to your apartment to apologize," he mumbles, trying not to think about that kiss now that she's brought it up.

"What?"

"Apologize. You know, say sorry, kiss up, grovel, beg for forgiveness."

"Um, and why exactly would you need to do that?"

"You were mad, yelling at me even. I called you hard on the head and kicked you out of my office. An apology doesn't seem out of line."

"Well, no. It wouldn't be from anyone else, but you're not anyone else. You've called me worse things before and never apologized. This is exactly what I was talking about this afternoon! You haven't been yourself all day and maybe I'm just being self-centered, but it certainly seems to have something to do with me."

Sitting down, he decides to just get it over with. "You were right. I didn't need help with my paperwork. It was pretty much up to date. But thanks for doing the mail too."

"You're welcome I guess. But, I don't think I was there just to do the mail either."

"Ah, no. You weren't." He takes a deep breath. "You were there because…because I miss you. I was going to ask if you wanted to go out tonight, but before I had a chance you started yelling."

Cameron is stunned. She says the first thing that pops into her head. "So Cuddy knew about this?" Crap, he was hoping she wouldn't ask that. He remembers Cuddy's advice to say that he had scammed her too, but something about that just doesn't sit right. He decides to take the middle ground. She doesn't need to know that Cuddy brought the idea up originally and the part about Cuddy and Wilson is none of Cameron's concern. But he's not going to outright lie to her.

"She knew I didn't need your assistance with my paperwork but she also knew that I missed you and I needed a little help to do something about it. Don't be mad at her; it's not her fault."

"Mad? I'm not mad. I…I don't know what I am, exactly. Surprised, I guess."

"Surprised…well that's better than pissed. Not really what I was hoping for though." He rubs his face with his hand before looking over at her. "Maybe you should go home. It's been a long day."

"Yeah, I think I should. I just need some time, House. I need to process this." She stands up. "Walk me to the door?"

Rolling his eyes and making a face to show her that he's okay, he replies, "Sure, make the cripple walk." But he gets up and walks her to the door just the same.

After opening the door, she turns around and looks up at him, smiling. She rises up on her tiptoes and gives him a soft, quick kiss on the lips. "Goodnight, House." Before he has a chance to react, she's gone. Pressing his fingertips to his lips, he closes the door behind her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Allies, Chapter 5**

Early the following morning, Cameron arrives at the hospital laden with two large cappuccinos from the specialty coffee shop down the street. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before and she's in desperate need of caffeine. She suspects she may not be the only one in that situation. She also suspects that the man responsible for her sleeplessness is already in his office despite the improbable hour. She remembers well his penchant for hiding in there when he has something on his mind.

It had been well past midnight when she arrived back at her apartment after her brief visit with House. She had swapped the jeans and top she'd worn out for a pair of comfy pajamas, brushed her teeth, and headed straight for her bed. She knew she wouldn't sleep, but she always did her best thinking in bed in the dark. And think she did. For hours. Thousands of what ifs ran through her mind, or at least it seemed like that many. Finally, at around four a.m. she came to the conclusion that she was thinking too damned much. If House wanted to explore some kind of relationship with her, was she really going to say no? After four years of wondering about it? Hell no, of course she wasn't. Yes, it would probably be difficult. _He_ was difficult. But what worth having in life came without some complications? And if she didn't at least give it a try, she knew she would always regret it.

She has enough regrets in her life. She steps into the elevator and pushes the button for the Diagnostics floor.

XXXXXXXXXX

House is sitting in the recliner in his office, where he's been since shortly after Cameron left his place the night before. He is debating getting up and going home before his team arrives for the day. It wouldn't do at all for them to think he had actually come into work early. Of course, he could also just get up and close the blinds and they'd never know he was there. However, both those options seem like far too much work in his current sleep-deprived state. He pops a couple of Vicodin instead and resumes his moping. Over the last several hours, he's managed to convince himself that he's made a huge mistake. Telling her I miss her…how fucking pathetic can a guy get, he asks himself and not for the first time. She liked me when I was abrasive and rude. She even said so, for Christ's sake. No way she's going to want me all _sensitive_ and _needy_. Even thinking those words makes him want to spit. No wonder she was so quick to leave last night. Never mind that he had suggested it. She could have argued with him; she's good at that.

A soft rapping on his door pulls him out of his self-flagellations. "Hey," Cameron says, passing him a large paper cup. "I've been told I'm all yours for the day."

"Thanks…um, what?"

"No, now you say something about Christmas coming early and then I say, no I'm here to do your paperwork."

"Have we gone back in time?" he asks, tilting his head to look up at her.

"Well maybe not literally. But I figured a do-over was in order."

"A do-over?" he asks slowly.

"Yeah…yesterday didn't work out as well as it could have, so I thought we could try it again."

House is catching on now. Damn, but she's good. "One problem," he says, fighting back the grin that is threatening to spoil his image. "You finished every last bit of paperwork I had yesterday."

"Well that's a relief," she says. "I don't actually have time to do any more paperwork. I have my own job to do today. So maybe we could just skip to the good part?"

"Uh, okay. Good part…sex on my desk?" he suggests hopefully.

"Is that what you were trying to ask yesterday?"

"Depends."

"On?"

"On whether you would agree, of course."

"Probably not…yet."

House opens his mouth, closes it and opens it again. "Y-yet?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself," she warns with a smile, thinking that he's cute when he's caught off guard.

"Right." He gives his head a shake. "Okay, the good part. Dr. Cameron would you like to have a drink with me after work?" he asks, sounding rather formal.

"Yes, Dr. House. I'd like that. I'm done at six."

"Okay then, page me when you're ready."

"Okay, I will," she replies solemnly. Then she winks at him, turns around and walks out the door toward the elevators. As soon as she is out of his line of sight, she does a little victory dance, garnering herself some odd looks from a couple of passing nurses.

XXXXXXXXXX

That evening as it nears six p.m., House and Cuddy are leaning over the upper level railing, looking down on the nearly deserted hospital lobby. "So, now that you and Cameron are on your way to…something…when are you going to keep your part of our deal?" she asks, watching Wilson make his way to the front doors.

"Oh…right. Almost forgot about that." He yells out, "Hey, Wilson… Cuddy here wants you. Ask her out, why don't you."

Wilson looks all around before pointing to himself. "Me?" he asks, walking over until he is standing just below them.

"Yes, you, you idiot. How many other Wilson's are there in this hospital?" House knows of at least two, but they're both female and now he's wishing he had pretended to misunderstand Cuddy's preferences. Oh well, too late, unless maybe this Wilson says no…

Cuddy is mortified. She stares at her feet and wishes fervently for a brain aneurysm to strike her dead before she has to hear Wilson's answer.

"Um, okay? Lisa would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?" he calls up.

Stunned, she can only nod. House dramatically rolls his eyes. "I think that's supposed to mean yes, so on that note, I'll leave you lovebirds alone and go find my girl," he says, glancing at his pager which has just sounded. He turns around and heads for the elevators.

"What? What girl?" Wilson asks, completely bewildered.

XXXXXXXXXX

House is sitting on his motorcycle outside the Emergency doors when Cameron walks out. "All set?" he asks.

"Sure am, where are we going?" She tries to sound casual, but the sight of him sitting on his bike looking hotter than hell is giving her a wild case of the butterflies.

"You'll see." He tosses her the spare helmet he had retrieved from home when he snuck out earlier for a little nap. "Hop on."

XXXXXXXXXX

_**A/N: Yeah, I know. Kinda short, but it seemed like a good place to stop. More soon :)**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Allies, Chapter 6**

After driving around seemingly aimlessly for close to an hour, House pulls up to a rather seedy looking bar in a rather seedy section of town. Really, they could have reached their destination in about half that time, but House was enjoying the feel of having Cameron snuggled up against his back. A partially lit neon sign announces that they have arrived at Bear's Sports Bar. If anything's going scare her off, Bear's will, House thinks. No fancy restaurants this time; she may as well see what she's really getting into.

They climb off his bike and pull off their helmets. "So…this is it," he says. "I hope you play pool."

"Good enough to kick your sorry ass," she replies, not looking scared off in the least. She wonders how he can play with the leg, but knows better than to ask.

They make their way through the door. "Not many people here," she observes.

"It's early yet, it'll pick up. Besides, I'm here…who else do you need?"

No one at all, she thinks but doesn't say.

As they approach the bar, the bartender looks up and spots House. He breaks into a huge grin. "House, you miserable old bastard! Where the hell have you been?" He does an exaggerated double take when he notices Cameron. "Whoa, that explains it. Who's the babe?"

"Bartender at Bear's, meet Allison Cameron. Cameron, this is Bartender at Bear's."

"Dave," the bartender says, rolling his eyes. "So, what's a good looking girl like you doing with a no-good SOB like House here?"

"Well, he used to pay me," she responds. "But he was so good that now I do…oops I mean _see…_ him for free." She winks in House's direction.

The bartender shakes his head. "House, you dog! So what can I get you folks?"

"Give us a pitcher of whatever's on tap. We'll be over at the tables." House rests a hand on the small of Cameron's back and steers her toward a group of pool tables at the back of the bar. "Thanks for that," he says with a slight smile. "You just did wonders for my reputation."

She shrugs. "Well, it's true. You used to pay me; I just didn't say for what. Shall I rack 'em up?"

"Be my guest." He grabs a cue and moves to the end of the table, preparing to break. When the balls are ready, he hangs his cane on the side of the table, leans over and shoots. Despite his awkward stance he manages to sink several balls off the break. "I'm high," he announces.

"No shit, what else is new," she replies. "Oh wait, you mean high as in the striped balls…got it." She grins at her little joke.

"Ha-ha," he says. "Go ahead and joke if it keeps your spirits up while I kick your stunning little ass." As House moves to take his next shot, Cameron turns around to pour a glass of the beer Dave has deposited on a nearby ledge. The sight of her stunning little ass encased in low rise jeans causes him to scratch. "Damn it! Your shot." He limps over and accepts the glass of beer she has poured for him.

She takes her turn at the table and sinks three solid balls in quick succession. Feeling the heat, House decides to play dirty. He walks up behind her as she is lining up her next shot. Molding himself to her, he hears her sudden intake of breath. He adjusts her hold on the cue stick slightly. "Try it this way," he says smirking and stepping back out of the way.

She misses by a mile.

The game continues along the same vein, both House and Cameron doing their best to distract the other into missing shots. In the end it all comes down to the eight ball and it's Cameron's turn to shoot. House walks up to stand beside her. "Back off buddy, I'm onto your game," she says. "Go stand over there."

"Okay, okay. Don't forget to call it."

"Right there," she says indicating the side pocket. She leans over, draws back the cue and shoots. It's a perfect shot…until the white cue ball follows the black eight into the side pocket. "Sonofabitch!" she curses.

"Aw, poor Cameron," House says, walking over to her. He holds out his hand to shake. "Good game."

"Good game," she repeats, grasping his hand. Instead of shaking, he pulls her towards him, lowers his head and brushes her lips with his. Cameron brings her free hand up to tangle in his short hair and the kiss deepens.

"Hey! Get a room you two," Dave hollers from the bar. Reluctantly, they break apart.

"Rematch?" Cameron suggests.

"Rain check," House replies. "The leg can only take one game a night. Grab the pitcher; I need to sit for awhile." They make their way over to a booth, House snagging a blue binder from a ledge on their way.

"What's that?" Cameron asks.

"Karaoke song list," House replies. "Show starts soon."

"Karaoke! Are you going to sing?"

"Hardly, but I thought you looked like a karaoke kind of girl."

"Ha! Not without massive quantities of alcohol." House slides the half full pitcher her way. "No thanks," she demurs, "I think I want to remember tonight."

The karaoke singing begins and Cameron moves from her side of the booth over to sit closely beside House. "So we can converse without screaming," she explains. House doesn't believe her for a second, but that's okay because she doesn't really believe herself either. They spend the next couple of hours making fun of the singers, sipping beer and chatting like old friends. Which, House supposes, they sort of are. Who would've thought?

XXXXXXXXXX

"So, I was out with Kutner and Thirteen last night before I saw you."

"Really? Please tell me you and Thirteen are dating and Kutner was just cover. She plays for both teams, you know."

"Ah, no I didn't know. But actually I think I was the one who was cover. Let's just say they didn't seem at all disappointed when I went home early.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I know a secret."

"What? Tell me!"

"Can't, it's a secret. But I'll give you a hint. There may be another workplace romance on the horizon."

"What, you and me? That's not a secret."

"Ha-ha. No. Well probably, but that's not who I meant."

"Give me another hint."

"Okay, okay. Their initials are Cuddy and Wilson."

XXXXXXXXXX

"You sure you don't want your job back?"

"I'm sure. Especially now."

"Why especially now?"

"Would we still be here if I was working for you?"

"No, but I could give this up if it meant I'd have my immunologist back."

"Really?"

"No."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Good thing I'm not coming back. It would be awkward with Foreman not speaking to me."

"Foreman's not speaking to you? Why?"

"Chase. He thinks I used him and tossed him aside."

"He doesn't even like Chase."

"He likes him better than he likes me at the moment."

"I always knew he was a moron."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Are you kidding me? How can you even think that!?"

"What? It's true!"

"God, I feel like I don't know you at all."

"Don't you think you're over-reacting just a tad?"

"No! Anyone who thinks plain M&M's are better than peanut ones must have been dropped on her head as a infant."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Sooo, let's talk some more about that sex on my desk promise you made me this morning."

"I made no such promise."

"Really, cause it kind of sounded like…"

"No such promise, House. Just …hmm…an implied possibility?"

"That'll do."

XXXXXXXXXX

Completely wrapped up in each other, they have lost track of time. As a result, they are startled to hear Dave announce that it's closing time. "You don't have to go home but you can't stay here."

"I guess that means us," Cameron sighs, not at all ready for the night to be over.

"Yeah," House agrees, struggling to his feet. "Let's hit the road, Jack."

House once again takes the long way, but eventually they find themselves in the parking lot of Cameron's apartment building.

"Do you want to come up for…"

"Don't say for a nightcap. It's so clichéd."

"I wasn't going to. I was _going_ to say do you want to come up for…" she rises up on her tiptoes and whispers in his ear.

A grin spreads quickly across his face. "Ah…hell yeah I do. Race you upstairs."

XXXXXXXXXX

Some time later, House ponders the events of the last couple of days as he waits for sleep to overtake him. He decides that he's…happy...with how things have worked out. It's a foreign concept, albeit a pleasant one, and he hopes it lasts for awhile before he inevitably screws it up. Wrapping his arm around the waist of the woman asleep beside him, he pulls her closer to him and deeply inhales the scent of her hair. His last thought as he drifts off is that he definitely owes Cuddy one. Maybe he should put in some extra clinic hours next week. Or something.

The End.

_**A/N: So that's it for Allies. Hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Extra special thanks to everyone who has taken the time to review. You guys seriously make my day :)**_


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